Systematic bias in genomic classification due to contaminating non-neoplastic tissue in breast tumor samples.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Genomic tests are available to predict breast cancer recurrence and to guide clinical decision making. These predictors provide recurrence risk scores along with a measure of uncertainty, usually a confidence interval. The confidence interval conveys random error and not systematic bias. Standard tumor sampling methods make this problematic, as it is common to have a substantial proportion (typically 30-50%) of a tumor sample comprised of histologically benign tissue. This "normal" tissue could represent a source of non-random error or systematic bias in genomic classification.

Methods

To assess the performance characteristics of genomic classification to systematic error from normal contamination, we collected 55 tumor samples and paired tumor-adjacent normal tis

SUBMITTER: Elloumi F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3151208 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature